St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-12

/ end the first and the last. men, al inc
/ having Of the tOp-st0nc Of the world
/ history, the same voices shall he heard a
when at the laying of the world corner
! stone the morning stars sang together.
F. b. WASHBJ' RSE DEAD.
! The EX-Congressman and Minister Ends
His Long Illness.
Hon. Elihu b. Washburnr. who had for
more than two months been lying seriously
| i'll at his home in Chicago, has died.
| No American family ever had So many of
| its members in contemporary public service
| as that to which the distinguished statesman
! Elihu +. WaShburne, whose death Is lllNt re-
I corded, belonged, Their Immediate ancestors
| were sturdy pioneers in the Maine forests We
| fore the beginning Of the present century,
| and of the four brothers, Israel who died III
| Philadelphia few years ago while III the
| city for medical treatment. was the war gov
! ernOr of his native State from 1850 to 49,,
/ after ten years of service III Congress adj
waladcrC. Washhurne emigrated to Wisr"n-
| sin and represented that State in Congress
! for five consecutive terms, and the youngest
| of the four. William D., settled in Minnesota.
|
the great flour mills at Minneapolis, and also
! sat in the House of Representatives for ten
| wears. During the Thirtytourth, Thirty
| fifth and Thirty-Sixth Congresses Israel.
| Elihu and CadWalader were all member "i
| the House and were very prominent IN the
| history ofthe war and reconstruction period.
| Each of the four was strong, positive. sagac-
! iOus and far-sighted Republican, but the ge-
MUS of the family eliminated in Ehhu B., al
! though in scholarship he was surpassed by
| his eldest brother Israel.
| Elihu b. Washburne was born at East Liver
more, Me, September y, lSlb, and served an
! apprenticeship in the printing office of the
| kennebec Journal, the newspaper of which
| Mr.. James G. Blaine was subsequently the
| editor. Then he studied law at Harvard and
after his admission to the bar removed to
| Galena, III. In 1858 the Wings elected him
to the Thirty-third Congress. but in the disso-
! luton OF the party upon the slavery issue,
! Mr.. Washburne found congenial associations
| in the newly-formed Republican organiza-
| ton, which reelected him for each C0nSet'-
utive term until 1869, He was scarcely
warm in his seat before he made his strong
abilities felt in the debates and legislation of
! the House. In the controversies over the
various compromises by which it was endeav
Ored to limit the extension of slavery into
| the new territories of the West he was an
aggressive and courageous free soil cham
| piOn. For many years he was chairman of
the committee on commerce, and left his
| impress upon much of the commercial leg
islation of the period. In the Thirty-eighth
| Congress, sitting from December, 1868, to
March, 1860, he was the senior member in
| continuous service, and usage awarded him
the title of Father of the House" AS a
member of the committee on reconstruction
| that followed the war, he was an efficient
assistant of Thaddeus Stevens, the chairman,
in the labor Of rehabilitating the Southern
States.
Mr. Washblrne's residence IN Galena had.
of course, brought him into contract with
General T. S. Grant, when the latter was en-
gagged in civil pursuits IN that town. and
upon the breaking out of the war he was one
| of those who recommended to Governor
Yates the appointment Of the ex-otficer of
| the regular army to command of an Hi
nos regiment: He possessed an implicit
faith in the military qualifications of Grant,
and was the author of the bill reviving the
office of lieutenant general, which had lapsed
| with the death of General Scott, in order
that it might be conferred upon Grant. The
| latter, upon his election to the presidency,
evinced his appreciation of Mr.. Washburne
by calling him from Congress into his cab
met as Secretary of State. Ill-health. 1t was
said, compelled his resignation of the office
within a week, and he was at once appointed
| minister to France.
1t was in this position that Mr.. Washburne
memoraby closed his public career by series
| OF acts which made his name honOrably
| known throughout the civilized world When
Germany and France went to war in the
summer of 1870, every representative of
| foreign government except the American
minister left Paris. In that city remained
some $1,000 Germans, the objects of the sus-
| picion, hatred and ill-will of the French.
To his lot it fell to care for these unfortunates
and he discharged that delicate and perilous
| duty with so much efficiency and tact that
| while he in no wise offended the French
| people and their government he protected
| all in jury except the inevitable calamities of
war. For these invaluable services the En-
peror William desired to confer upon him the
Order of the Red Eagle, and when he was
| obliged to refuse this testimonial under the
laws the United States, he was presented by
| the Emperor with portrait of himself and
one of Prince Bismarck. Mr.. Washburne
stuck to his post in Paris during the siege
| by the Germans and also during that still
more trying period when the Communists
| held the city, and it was beleaguered and
bombarded by the army ofthe Versailles gov
eminent. In this second dreadful epoch he so
befriended many suffering Parisians and for
eigners in the days of starvation and terror
that the government of Theirs rendered him
formal thanks, while the American Con-
gress expressed its appreciation of his course
in appropriate resolutions. Returning home
in 1877, Mr.. Washburne retired from his po-
litical career, and thenceforward until his
death lived quietly in Chicago. He was NOM
Exhibition in London, but took no active
part in its affairs.
Strange Oregon Fish.
Mr.. o. Poison, who has been fishing in
| the Columbia for the past eight wears on